Over 200 students attended “drive-through” Commencement 2021

More than 200 graduates from the Cincinnati State Class of 2021, along with their friends, family members, and even one family cat, joined the Drive-Through Commencement event on June 26, 2021.

Graduates in sedans, SUVs, convertibles, and trucks received recognition and congratulations from Cincinnati State President Monica Posey, the four academic Deans, and some College faculty and staff members.

Many graduates stopped to pose for a photo with Dr. Posey.

Each graduate received a traditional diploma cover, two commencement programs, a static sticker for their car, and a Cincinnati State padfolio.

“We are so proud of this year’s graduates, who not only completed a degree or certificate, but also overcame the challenges of the COVID pandemic,” said Dr. Posey.

The College awarded a total of 1,249 degrees and certificates to the 2021 graduating class, including 21 first-ever Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Land Surveying.

The pre-recorded Commencement video, featuring the theme “Beyond mountains there are mountains,” is available on the College website’s Graduation & Commencement page.

Commencement video participants include:

• Honorary Degree recipient Delores Hargrove-Young, who is the vice chairwoman for d.e. Foxx & Associates, Inc., the chair of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and a prolific community leader in Greater Cincinnati. 
• Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Henrietta Hill, ’07, ’96, who has served for more than 20 years as a board member of the Cincinnati State Alumni Association, after a 35-year career in the telecommunications and information management industries. 
• Four student speakers:
  • Isabel Dubarry, ‘21 – Associate of Arts 
  • Mary Lemon, ‘21 – Occupational Therapy Assistant Technology
  • Philip Solademi, ‘21 – Accounting Technology
  • Caryl Mae Valencia, ‘21 – Computer Network Engineering Technology – Cyber-Security Major
• Faculty speaker Jayne Martin Dressing, Professor and Co-op Coordinator for Humanities & Sciences and a 2021 recipient of the House-Bruckmann Award for Faculty Excellence.

The Commencement video was prepared with assistance from Storyocity, an award-winning production and motion design studio founded by Cincinnati State graduates.

A downloadable copy of the commencement program is available on the Commencement web page, or click https://www.cincinnatistate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Commencement-Program-2021.pdf